Safety side pocket.



H. T. WAERNESS.

SAFETY SIDE POCKET.

APPLICATION rum) MAY 20, 10

1,040,819, Patented Oct. 8,1912.

w Zuif/zessesx V m iQ' JWVZM 90AM- cuLuMmA PLANOGRAI'II C0,, WASHI HENRY '1. WAERNESS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SAFETY SIDE POCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

Application filed May 20, 1912. Serial No. 698,436.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be'it known that I, HENRY T. \VAERNnss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety Side Pockets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to side pockets for trousers and its main object is to provide a side pocltet of novel construction, capable of being closed at a certain point therein to afford a deep-seated, recessed portion, open to the main cavity of the pocket, but not easy of access to the hand, and out of direct communication with the pocket opening or slit, thus making it difficult for an unauthorized person to insert his hand in the recessed portion of the pocket, and making it practically impossible for the contents of the pocket to escape, even when the pocket is caused to assume unusual positions.

It is well known to those familiar with the art to which this invention pertains, that the contents of side pockets of trousers are very apt to fall out of such pockets when a person (wearing a garment provided with side pockets) reclines or rolls about, because a side pocket opens outward through a vertical slit at the rear edge of the pocket, and when a person reclines, the slit or opening takes a horizontal position, or one nearly so, at the bottom edge of the pocket. Many attempts have been made to remedy this objectionable feature, but most of these attempts have met with little or no success, because of the greatly increased cost, or because many of such constructions are cumbersome, difficult to manipulate and not re liable.

In the present application of my invention, I employ a clasp for detachably securing together the two sides of the pocket at a point just inside of the pocket opening and near the lower edge thereof, thus forming a deep seated recess therebelow; the clasp or attaching means, in its simplest form, com prises an ordinary glove fastener the two parts of which may be connected together by simply pressing the one upon the other, and unfastened by slipping the hand into the pocket and spreading apart the two sides thereof at the point where the clasp or fastener is located.

My invention therefore consists in a side pocket for trousers having secured thereto a two part clasp or fastener, one member of which is secured to one side of the pocket near the lower edge of the pocket opening, and the other member secured to the opposite side in position to co-aet with its companion and thereby clasp the two sides together to form a deep seated recess in the rear of the pocket not directly in communication with the pocket opening, but continuously in open communication with the main cavity of the pocket.

The invention further consists in the several novel features hereinafter set forth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawing furnished herewith, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a pair of trousers, showing one pocket thereof embodying one form of the present invention, the material of the trousers being partly torn open to expose a portion of the pocket to view, Fig. 2 is a side view of the upper portion of a pair of trousers, with the material of the trousers torn open, and one side of the pocket torn open to expose certain portions thereof to view, Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, Fig. 4: is a side view of the pocket, detached from the trousers, and showing the same in an inverted position extending at oblique angle, Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a side view of a fragment of the pocket, partly broken open, and lying in a position assumed by it, when a person (wearing a garment containing such pocket) is in a reclined position.

Referring to said drawing, which shows one embodiment of the present invention 10, represents a pair of trousers of ordinary form having the usual side pockets, one of which is shown at 11.

In accordance with the common practice, side pockets are made of one or two pieces of suitable material, and when made of one piece, the latter is usually folded longitudinally upon itself along the line 12, and the two sides 13, 1 1, sewed together along the bottom edge, and part way up the other side edge, as at 15; the upper edges 17, of both sides 13, 141, are sewed to the material of the trousers along the waistband 17, from which point the pocket is suspended. The gap 18, (see Fig. 4:) is the slit or opening to the cavity of the pocket and registers with the pocket opening 19, of the trousers. At 19, 19, are cross seams which fasten the sides 13, 14,

together along the seams and between said seams is the gap or slit 18. Preferably a strip 14 is sewed to the side 14:, along the edge 16, which strip extends slightly beyond the gap and is sewed to the material of the trousers at the seam 2%, that joins the fore part 10', and rear part 10 of the trousers.

Between the cross seams 19 19 (which.

determine the length of the pocket opening) the edge 20, of the side 13, is sewed in between the facing 21, and fore part 10 along the seams 22, and the side 14, is sewed to the far side of the facing 23, along the seam 24; said facing is usually sewed to the rear part 10 along the seam 24 The facings usually extend to or slightly beyond 7 the top and bottom edges of the pocket above described, as it is one well known to those skilled in the art, but the invention resides in a side pocket of this form, and other well known forms, in combination with a clasp, such as the one hereinafter described, located at a point adjacent the opening and serving to accomplish the re-.

sult herein set forth.

Located approximately in horizontal .alinement with the lower edge and cross seam 19 of the pocket opening and at a point adjacent thereto, is a clasp or fas tening device 27 here shown in the form of the well known glove fastener, of which the socket member 28, is secured to the side piece 13, with its socket opening to the cavity of the pocket, and the head member 29, secured to the side piece 14, with In 1 its head pointing toward the socket. accordance with the common practice, one or the other member of the glove fastener is formed with a springlike or flexible ele ment that snaps into or upon the other member, whereby when the one is inserted in the other, the two snap together and must be forced apart in order to detach the one from the other.

The clasp or fastener being located at the above described position, holds together the material of the two sides of the pocket at a point intermediate the two side edges 12,.

16, and approximately in horizontal alinement with the lower edge and cross seam 19 of the pocket opening, so that a deep seated recessed portion, indicated generally at 30, results therefrom, the upper end of which is normally closed by the clasp. In addition to this, the pocket is narrowed up between the clasp 27, and edge 12, to such an extent that the hand cannot easily reach the bottom of the pocket without first u'nfastening the clasp. This, however, may be done by pressing the hand down between the sides of the pocket at the point of the clasp and thereby separating the two mem bers thereof, whereupon a person may have access thereto as easily as if no clasp were present.

If desired, two or more clasps may be employed as seen at 27 27 ,vin Fig. 1, the one behind the other and in horizontal alinement, whereby the depth of the recess may be increased materially and the open space between the clasps and edge 12, reduced correspondingly.

l/Vhen the sides of the pocket are clasped together at the point above set forth, itis practically impossible for the contents of the pocket to roll out or be discharged from the pocket in case the wearer reclines, rolls 1 about or assumes almost any position, as the contents of the pocket roll into the recess at the lower rear corner, whenever the pocket is tilted backward.

In Fig. 4 the pocket is held upside down I to show the device in operation, and it will be seen that the contents lie in the recess 30. This position may be assumed in the act of turning the trousers upside down.

The contents will then be held in such recess 30 until the corner 25, is allowed to fall, whereupon the contents will seek the lowest point and lodge in said corner.

In Fig. 6 the pocket is shown in a position assumed when the person is lying down in a horizontal plane. The pocket is torn open to expose the clasp, but it is evident that by reason of the use of said clasp adjacent the seam 19', at the lower edge of the pocket opening, the contents are kept from rolling out through the pocket opening.

The clasps may be readily attached to the side pocket either before it is fastened in place in the trousers or it may be secured thereto afterward, as the case may be.

The invention is extremely cheap and simple, yet is very efficient, reliable and requires no particular attention, because the clasp is unclasped by pressing the hand down between the two sides of the pocket,

and the two parts are re-clasped by simply pressing the finger against the trousers over the clasp and forcing together the two members thereof.

Less goods are required in a pocket containing this invention, because it is unnecessary to make them of so great a depth as the ordinary pocket.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

As a new article of manufacture, a safety side pocket for trousers having atwo part clasp secured to the sides of the pocket at a point'adjacent to the lower cross seam of s.

the pocket opening, and intermediate said opening and far edge of the pocket, the

one part of the clasp being secured to one In Witness whereof, I have hereunto 10 side of the pocket, and the other part sesigned my name at Chicago, Cook county, cured to the opposite side and detachably Illinois, this 18th day of May, 1912.

secured tolthe first nangeccll part to form a deep seatec recess, out 0 irect communication With said pocket opening but capable HENRY WAERNESS' of being thrown into direct communication Witnesses:

therewith when the two parts of the clasp CHARLES O. SHERVEY,

are unclasped. STEPHEN ZAKOWSKI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

